Warning Signs
by ZombiOtter
Summary: Alex gets shipped off to a school in Africa. The only problem is, there's another spy. Will they get in each others way? This is my 1st Alex Rider Story.
1. A Little Vacation

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**here it is again. enjoy!**

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The school bell rang to signal the start of break.

Alex walked to his bike and started to unlock it. He was stopped by Tom whole tapped him on the shoulder.

' Hey, Alex!' Tom said.

'Hi, Tom.', Alex was glad to have Tom to talk to. Tom was his only friend in Brookland Academy and Alex appreciated it. After Sabina left, he thought he would be completely alone. And he blamed it all on MI6.

' What are you doing for break? I was wondering if you wanted to head back up to Naples… if its okay. You, know?' Tom was asking about the Scorpia situation. He thought that maybe Alex would want to forget the whole ordeal.

' Sure. I could use a break.', Alex was happy for the invitation. Ever since MI6 recruited him, he hardly had time to relax. It was always one assignment after another.

'Great? It'll be a lot of fun. My brother will be meeting us there this time, so maybe nothing will happen.', Tom felt bad about bringing it up. Scorpia was a big project he thought Alex would never forget.

'Sounds good!', Alex replied.

'Meet me at my house on Sunday.', Tom raced off and disappeared around the corner of the school.

Alex was glad that he could have a friend who though about him. He missed it with his parents and now he had Jack Starbright, his housekeeper, and Tom.

It was like he missed nothing at all.

A man in a black suit was standing on the sand that touched the lapping waves of the wave of Good Hope, the cape in South America. He stood with his back to the water. His thought was that you saw it once, you didn't need to see it again.

The plans were perfect. The compound would be considered a safe haven for teenagers all over the world. Him, and his partner, Coustau, would run the compound until the kids were ready. Then, their plan would continue into the second phase. He smiled a dark, ghostly smile that would chill a thief to the bone.

A black BMW pulled up to the sand. Coustau was a short man who had hair the color of the sand. He was in his thirties but acted like a gentleman twice that age. He was perfect for being the face of the school. He went to an actors collage in the south of France. He knew had to pose like a homely, kind gentleman.

And that's what they needed.

'Well, is everything ready?', the man said.

Coustau to the side of the man and faced the water. He had never been there before and wanted to see it while he could.

'It's all set. The shipment will arrive at thirteen hundred hours. Then we can get ready to conduct an experiment to see if it works.', Coustau ran over the plans in his head. He felt wrong killing innocent children and controlling their identities. He had a nephew just about the same age. He thought about him and grimaced at the thought. Even though the teens would be rich, there was nothing to hold against them. If anything, they should be blaming the United Nations.

'Perfect', the man said, 'Everything has to go according to plan. Nothing can ruin this for me.'.

'Nothing'

Alex knew a vacation was to good to be true.

He should have known that he was destined to be stuck as an MI6 pawn. They always used him and blackmailed him into doing these crazy deadly assignments.

When he received the note from the head of operations at MI6, he knew why she wanted to see him.

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**i know its the same. i decided to leave it just the way it was!**


	2. Mission Control

**here it is again!**

**------**

_Alex stopped his bike in front of the Royal and General Bank. He never liked the sight of this building. Every time he went there, he was dragged in to a deadly situation. He came to grips that he had to go in._

_When he stepped inside, he got a sense of coldness, almost like death. He stepped forward._

_'There you are Alex.' It was Mrs. Jones, the head of Operations. He liked how she always worried about him. Although, he found it strange that she didn't want to see him hurt, and yet she always allowed him to be shipped off._

_'I am so glad that you arrived now. Mr. Blunt is waiting for you.' She lead him down a long corridor filled with doors leading into unknown rooms. He always had chills right before he enters Blunts office._

_When he stepped in, Alan Blunt, the head of MI6, was sitting his chair with his back to the door._

_'Sit down, Alex. We need to talk.' He said. Alex sat down in the right chair, feeling more uncomfortable every minute._

_'What do you want from me this time? I thought I said I didn't want to do any more of your crazy missions.' Alex had, too. Every time he meant Alan Blunt, he would try to get out of it. And every time, Blunt would pull him back in._

_Alan Blunt turned around in his chair. 'How is your guardian? Jack Starbright, isn't it?' That was Blunts way of telling Alex he had to do it. 'There is a school opening up in South Africa. It a sort of safe haven for teens for rich families. A place for them to live and learn.' Blunt pulled out a file. 'We wanted you to check it out.'_

_Alex couldn't understand. 'Why? It doesn't sound that dangerous. It sounds like someone's doing a good deed.' Alex looked at Blunt with a confused look._

_'One of the benefactors is Coustau Willis. A British fellow. He has a history of blackmailing. It isn't his nature to be- helpful.' Blunt seemed to have studied this mans whole history. Of course, Alex thought, this is Alan Blunt. He seemed to know everything about everyone._

_'So, a lot of people change. Maybe all those years in jail gave him a change of heart.' Alex doubted it, but he was trying to think of something._

_Mrs. Jones had stepped back in. 'Alex, this is important. For all we know, he could be planning to hold the students as a blackmail or a ransom. You need to check it out.'_

_Alex knew there was no way of getting out of it. He figure he would stop trying. He looked at Blunt then at Mrs. Jones, thinking. He finally came to a decision._

_'When do I leave?'_

_'What?!' Jack exclaimed. Alex had just told him the news. Jack was against MI6 from the start. She never liked how they could risk the life of a fourteen year old boy for their own gain. 'You cant just up and leave like that. I don't believe this!'_

_Alex wasn't surprised at Jack's reaction. He knew she hated MI6. But not as much as he did. He hated MI6 for every thing. For how his whole life turned out._

_'I know Jack. I didn't want to go either. But I figured I couldn't fight anymore. There's no point to it. They don't listen.' Alex tried to comfort Jack. With no progress._

_'Alex, I don't care. Your fourteen years old! And look at all the school you missed already. If you leave now. Who knows when your come back. Who knows if you'll even come back.' Alex could see the worry in Jack's eyes._

_' I'll be back, Jack. I promise.' He felt bad making a promise you probably couldn't keep. He was saying that for Jack's sake, though._

_Jack's eyes widened. 'You can't promise that, Alex. You almost didn't come home the last time you left.' Alex could see a tear in Jack's eyes._

_' I'm sorry, Jack. I have to do this.' Alex said. She stood up and went upstairs to pack._

**------**

**t****a-da!**


	3. Grace Royal Academy

**boy it great to know this is back: original and where it belongs**

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Alex sat on the plane. He was heading off to Julies Port in South Africa. Another assignment from MI6 had brought him that far and he wished he could turn back. But it was to late now.

Smithers had given him gadgets. Blunt filled him in on his new identity. And Mrs. Jones was sitting next to him. She was suppose to be like a guardian or nanny. He looked up at her. He couldn't understand how she could let his life be put in danger like this. She said she cared, but he didn't think so.

They were preparing to land at the airport. Mrs. Jones leaned over, "Now remember, Alex, after you collect your suitcase, there will be bus waiting for you." Alex was half listening. She already told him this a hundred times.

_---------------------------------------_

Alex stood outside the airport. He didn't see anyone who could possibly be from the school. He sighed. It couldn't get worse then this. He really hoped so.

"Alex?!" A voice came from behind him. He turned around. There was James Sprintz. Alex meant James when he was posing as a delinquent at Point Blanc Academy. James walked up to him, "Well, isn't this funny. Me and the great Alex Rider meet again."

Alex smiled. "Hi, James." Alex shook James hand, "What are you doing here?"

"After what happened at Point Blanc, my father didn't want anything like that happening again. So he's shipping me off to some school. I think the names…uh… Grace Royal Academy."

Alex's mouth dropped open. He smiled, "That's where I'm going."

"Really?" James scratched his head, "Why?"

Alex forgot. James knew Alex was a spy. He leaned in to whisper to James, "From now on, my names Johnny. Johnny Townes. I'm on a mission, if you know what I mean."

It took James a minute, but then he remembered. "I got you, Al…, I mean, Johnny." James winked to let Alex knew he understood.

Just at that minute, a black limousine pulled in. A tall, dark skinned man stepped out of the drivers side. He walked over to the boys, "Are you going to Grace Royal Academy?" The boys looked at each other and then back at the man. They nodded. "Good, I'm Killenger. I'll be taking you there." He walked to the limo and opened the back door.

"I might like this school." Whispered James.

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The ride to the school was long and boring. Alex and James had ran out of things to say after catching up on everything. They looked out the window. The had left Julies Port and headed into the dry desert. Alex guessed they built the school there so it was harder to find.

Suddenly, they saw the school. It looked almost like a small town. There was various buildings and people walking around. They pulled into the school grounds. The limo pulled in front of the biggest building and stopped. A short woman with brown hair walked over to them as they stepped out.

"Welcome!" She said with a big smile. She was young, maybe in her early thirties, and lively. "My name Mrs. Applegate. I'm the principal here at Grace Royal Academy. I've sent for a student to show you around. But until they show up, we'll talk in my office." She turned around and led them into the building. The first office was hers. When they entered, she gestured for them to sit down.

"Which one of you is Jonathan Townes?" She asked as she looked though files on her desk. Alex raised his hand. She smiled at him, "Nice to meet, John." She turned to James, "So, then your James Sprintz?" He nodded. She placed the papers down and looked at them, "What do you think of the school so far?"

"It's rather big." Said Alex, "I was expecting something smaller."

"So was I." James added.

Mrs. Applegate chuckled, "Well, we want to make sure the students here have everything they need." There was a knock at the door. Applegate stood up, "Come in."

The door opened. Standing in the door way was a black haired, dark skinned girl. Her hair was back in a bun and She was wearing a tank top with jean shorts. She pushed a loose strand of hair from her face, "You wanted to see me, Principal Applegate?" The girl had an American accent.

"Yes, Chloe. This is Jonathan Townes and James Sprintz. They just arrived here from London. I wanted you to show them the school and where their rooms are."

Chloe smiled, "I'd be happy to." Alex and James followed her out of the building and into the blinding sun. She turned to them, "As you already know, My name is Chloe Hall."

Alex looked at her. She seemed out of place, "How long have you been here?" He asked.

"I arrived two days ago." She answered, "It's not that hard to find your way around once you know where everything is."

James grinned, "That's good. I get lost easily."

Chloe laughed. She sighed and shrugged her shoulders, "I guess we must get on with the tour."

As they walked away, James elbowed Alex, "I think I'm going to really like this school."

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**you know the drill...**


	4. Running into Trouble

**again ****sorry**** if this doesn't stay to the real ****alex**** rider but ****i**** liked this ****chappie**

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After Chloe showed the two boys around, she lead them to the dorm. They climbed up four flights of stairs until they couldn't go any farther. She lead them down the hallway and they stopped at the very last room. James was gasping for air.

"Guess your not in shape, huh?" Chloe said with a laugh.

"Ha." James retorted. He bent over and placed his hands on his knees. Alex rolled his eyes.

Chloe smiled. She seemed like a really happy person to Alex.

She shrugged her shoulders, "Sorry the trip to your rooms a hike, but we already have people crammed into each others rooms. Thankfully, you guys share a room."

"Thank goodness!" James exclaimed as he straightened himself out. "I was afraid I'd be back downstairs."

Alex jumped in before James could go off on a rant, "So, is there anyone sharing the room with us?"

"Yeah." Chloe said, "His names Jasper, but everyone calls him Jazz. He's an American kid, like me. You'll get to be friends with him. He's super sweet."

They walked in the door and inside was a boy. He had brown hair hanging in his face and was jumping around playing air guitar. He stopped when he realized they walked in.

"Hey, Chloe!" He shouted. He noticed the boys and gave them a wave, "Hey, dudes, you must be my new room mates!" He went to walked over but tripped on a pile of dirty clothes.

Alex and James looked at Chloe, who forced a smile.

"Your kidding, right?" James asked.

Chloe ignored him and helped Jazz to his feet, "Jazz, this is Jonathan Townes and James Sprint."

Jazz went over and grabbed their hands, shaking them violently, "Man, this school year's gonna rock! Me and my roomies will rule the school."

Chloe finding this a timely exit, headed for the door, "Well, glad you guys are getting along. I'm gonna head beck to my room." She bolted through the door, not wanting James to hound her about Jazz.

Jazz stuffed his hands in his pockets, "So, dudes, where you from?"

Alex placed his bags on one of the empty beds. James took the one next to his.

"We're from London." Alex said, trying not to show Jazz that he thought he was weird. "You?"

Jazz plopped down on his bed, which was covered in clutter, and sighed, "Miami, Florida. Party city of the U. S of A."

"Cool." James said as he pulled a pile of clothes from his suitcase. He looked at Alex and rolled his eyes.

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At dinner, Alex and James were forced to sit with Jazz, who ate at a table by himself. Alex could kinda understand why, what with Jazz being, well, himself.

Back at the room, Alex excused himself and headed for a walk. Before he could get down the flight of stairs, James stopped him, "You can't leave me alone with him. What if his surfer ways rub off on me?"

"James, he's not that bad. A little weird, but he seems cool. Besides, I gotta go check out the school. Remember? I'm here for a reason."

James growled, "Fine, but if I'm an airhead when you get back, you know why!" He turned on his heels and stomped back to the room.

Alex chuckled and headed down the stairs. James wasn't always so uptight. He was actually kinda laid back. But Alex knew that his father probably sent him out here and James was still mad about it. Over time, the school would grow on him and he'd be his old self.

Alex opened the main door to the dorms and stepped outside. Across the courtyard was the girls dorms. He wondered which window was Chloe's. He went to his left and strolled towards a barn. He found that this was the first time investigating was actually easy.

He walked in the door to find a row of horses, all excited to see a human. He went to the first horse and stroked it's nose. It neighed happily. That's when Alex heard it.

A suppressed shout came from around the corner. Alex crept towards it trying to keep quiet. When he got closer, he could hear voices.

"Listen here, Jordan. You keep your nose out of our business and I won't have to kill you." said a voice. It was a man's with a thick accent.

The next voice Alex heard sounded familiar, "How do you know my name?"

"Easy. I've been watching you since you got here. Now, keep your mouth shut." The man said.

"You can't do that. What are you going to do about the agents? They're waiting for me. I am going to contact them." The girl's voice sounded strong.

The man growled and Alex heard a gasp for air, "Fine, I'll just have to kill you now."

Alex ran out from around the corner, "Leave her alone!"

The man was in a black ninja like outfit with a mask over his face. Dropping his victim to the ground, he turned towards Alex, "Trying to stop me, huh? You'll be sorry for that." He went to slug Alex. Alex twisted around and kicked the man in the side of the head. The man stumbled back and into a bale of hay.

The man, who was thin and lanky, jumped to his feet. He lashed out at Alex, missing by an inch. Alex, crouching down, swung his leg and brought the strangers feet out from under him. Alex stood back up, and gathered up his energy for another attack.

The stranger jumped to his feet and looked at Alex, who centered his weight and prepared to fight. "This is not over." He said as he turned to leave. Alex didn't know why he didn't put up more of a fight, but he was glad he didn't.

Alex turned to check on the girl and was stunned, "Chloe?" He gasped.

"Hi, Johnny." She said, nervously. She was rubbing her neck where the man grabbed her. "I know, I have _a lot _of explaining to do." She glanced around. But, I can't tell you here. Meet me tomorrow in the library after classes."

Chloe turned and ran out of the barn as quick as she could. Alex began to run after her but she was already gone. Now all he could do was wait for tomorrow.

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**there, those changes should work perfectly...**


	5. Meetings and Threats

**sorry it took forever for me to update this. i had trouble writing it but it's done now. so, enjoy!!**

000

Classes went by like they usually do when you're new. The whole day consisted of meeting teachers, finding rooms, and being introduced to the entire class.

Alex walked into the library and waited for Chloe. The library was bigger than he expected. There were two floors, each with separate rooms dedicated to different subjects and areas of literature. He found a seat in the center of the main room and got comfortable. After what felt like hours, he finally gave up waiting on her. He began to walk out the large wooden doors when James walked in.

"What's going on?" James asked as soon as he got saw Alex.

"Back to the dorm." Alex muttered, somewhat disappointed in Chloe. Last night, she said she would explain everything to him. There must have been a good reason for standing him up. He began to push his way through the doors.

James grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back. "Why? There's nothing up there. Jazz is out…doing whatever it is he does." He rolled his eyes and sighed, "You can study here. I wanna spend as much time outside of that room as I can." James whirled Ales around and steered him towards a table. Reluctantly, Alex sat across from him. There was a book left on the table and Alex pulled it toward him and flipped through the pages.

As Alex studied a page on Rome and its famous battles, James cleared his throat, "What were you doing? I noticed you were standing there before. You can't possibly be done with all the work they gave you."

Alex shrugged, "I was just waiting for someone." Alex turned a few more pages. He was paying attention to them anymore. He had hoped James would take a hint and leave him alone. It didn't work though.

"Really?" James closed his book, his attention even more on Alex. "Who was it? Anyone I know?"



Jazz suddenly sat beside Alex, slamming his hand on Alex's shoulder, "Hey, dudes. What's up?"

James rolled his eyes, "What are you doing here?"

Alex nodded a hello, "Hey, Jazz."

"Oh, Johnny, Chloe wanted me to tell you something." Jazz snapped his fingers, causing the other students sitting around them to hush him. He lowered his voice. "She said, uh, she got tied up and she's sorry."

James' head snapped up and he shifted his glance between Alex and Jazz. "Chloe? You were meeting Chloe here?"

"Yeah." Alex didn't see what was so curious and surprising. He also wondered what could have happened that kept Chloe from seeing him. "We just had to talk about classes."

James eyed Alex a little bit longer. For a second, Alex thought he might have even been mad. Whatever it was that had James so upset seemed to disappear as he turned his attention back to his book.

000

The dinner bell had rang and James made his way to the dining hall. The steady rumbling of his stomach was beginning to get to him and he was glad he was about to eat. Everything about his first day at Grace Royal Academy was so common to him that he felt he could do it with his eyes closed. Almost every year, he was shipped off to another school. It was mostly because his father was afraid that something would happen to him. The only thing he didn't fear was ruining James' life.

He had planned on waiting a few days before completely hating it. The thing about Grace Royal Academy was that the only people who went there were other rich kids. James did not like to think of himself as a typical rich kid. Most of them were into their looks and the latest gadgets. James was more focus on one thing, making sure he didn't turn out like his father.

As he was thinking about everything, Chloe came from around the corner.

"Hey!" he sped up to catch her. When he got closer to her, he noticed she looked a little worried. "Haven't seen you around lately."

She smiled, "Yeah." she nodded slowly as she kept walking. "Have you seen Alex today? I was suppose to meet him, but, uh…something came up."

"I saw him," James said curiously, "he was looking for you. Chloe, is there something wrong?"

"There's nothing wrong." She chuckled nervously before turning on James sharply. "Listen, I've gotta run back to my room before dinner. I'll see you later." She turned down the next corner.

He watched as she quickly walked down the hallway and disappeared up the stairs.

000

When James finally got to the dining room, he went as fast as he could through the line to get food. He balanced his tray on the table as he slid into the seat beside Alex. "Guess who I ran into on my way here."

Alex looked over at him, a curious look on his face, "Who?"

"You're friend, Chloe. She was acting kinda funny. Almost like there was something wrong."

"What do you mean by weird?" Alex asked, placing his fork on the table.

James pushed his tray away and leaned on the table with his elbows, "She seemed nervous. I got the feeling she didn't want to be seen with me." James paused,"Or…there was something she didn't want me to know."

That's when Chloe walked in. She looked around the room, seemingly lost. There were two empty seats across from them, so James waved her over. A look of surprise came across her face and she quickly grabbed a seat beside a girl at a table across the room.

James looked over at Alex and shrugged his shoulders, "See what I'm saying. Yesterday, she would have been over here as soon as she saw us. There's something weird going on."

Alex nodded slowly, watching Chloe intently. "Yeah, it is weird…"

000

She was on her way upstairs when he appeared from around the corner. "What do want?"

"He's been waiting for you. You should know that if you make him wait any longer, he won't be happy." The light from the ceiling glinted off his bald head. "I think you should come with me."

Chloe tensed up as she made her way over to him. He grabbed her arm forcefully, causing her to wince from pain.

The trip down to the basement was longer then what she was used to. She was beginning to become so familiar with the trip, that she could find her way there in the dark. There was no way to count how many times Steve had marched beside her as they went to meet him. Chloe had never seen his face. Something was always blocking him from her sight. The feeling of not knowing who was on the other side of the table bothered her more than any else. Anybody could have been threatening her and pretending to be her friend. That's what bothered her the most. He could have been the person closest to her.

The hallway seemed a little darker then the last time she was there. It was almost like they were trying to mentally scare her to keep her quiet. They reached the doorway and Steve pushed her forward. "Get in there."

She swallowed all the air she possibly could before turning the knob. A fire roared in the fire place and a tall back chair was placed right in front of it. "Jordan, Jordan, Jordan." A voice came out from behind the chair. "I thought we talked about this."

"Talked about what? I don't even know what I did wrong." She shrugged her shoulders. A stab of pain shot up her arm as Steve twisted it behind her back.

"I believe we discussed this. If you talked to anyone, there would be a lot of trouble for you." He tapped the arm of the chair. "Now, don't say you haven't said anything. That boy from the stables seemed to show up at just the right time. Can you explain that?"

Thoughts of Alex came into Chloe's mind. "I don't know why he was there. He just sort of showed up. Please, believe me when I tell you that I didn't tell him anything. There's no possible way he could know anything."

The chair twisted around and there he was, a hood covering his face. "I hope that's true because if I find out you told him anything, then it all over. I won't keep you around anymore."

The silence seemed heavy to Chloe. She nodded, knowing that if she said anything back, her other arm would be twisted.

"Great. Now that that's cleared up, I hope you get a good night's rest." His voice sounded like he was taking pleasure in watching her suffer. He sat back down and turned back to the fireplace.

Steve proceeded in pushing again, this time making her leave the room. Right before she left, Chloe turned to say something. The only thing that she could think of was the warning he gave her. Saying anything would have been the wrong choice. So she continued forward. Now all she had to do was figure out how to avoid Johnny and James.

**000**

there it is. hope you like it 'cause it's all i got. r &r!!


	6. The Hooded Figure

**_yay! it's here! i finally got around to posting this...hope you all like it!_**

**_000_**

Alex walked down the hallway. He wasn't supposed to be in the girl's dormitories at all but there was something he needed to do. He came to a door and knocked softly. Chloe opened the door and then second she saw him, she slammed the door. He knocked again.

After a minute, a tall blonde girl opened door and stepped outside.

"Can I talk to Chloe, please?" he asked.

The girl sighed loudly, "She says she doesn't want to talk to you."

"Why not?" He was a little shocked, "Did she give you a reason?"

"I don't know why. She just doesn't want to." The girl shrugged her shoulders.

Alex went to leave but at the last moment, he turned back. "Just tell her that if I did anything wrong, I didn't mean it. I was just worried." he walked down the hallway looking at the wooden statues lined against the wall.

Something weird seemed to be bothering Chloe. All he wanted was to know what it was. There was something different about this assignment. Everything seemed normal. A little to normal but that was about it. The only thing that didn't make sense was Chloe. She was the only one out of place and completely suspicious.

He heard a door creak open behind him. Quickly, he found a place to hide, which just so happened to be one of the statues of a man in amour. He listened carefully as he heard footsteps come closer to him.

Chloe came into his field of vision. Her hair was straight down and she still had pajamas on. She looked like she had just climbed out of bed. She walked past quietly.

When she finally reached the stairway, Alex slipped out of his hiding place and followed her. He made sure to stay a few feet behind her, making sure he stayed extra quiet. He didn't want her to know he was there but at the same time he needed to see where she was going. To his surprise, instead of going down, she began going up the stairs.

They both walked silently until the stairs came to an end where the only thing left was the door to the roof.

Chloe pushed her way through and that's when Alex realized she was carrying a box under her arm.

Alex opened the door just enough that he could see onto the roof. The only lights that were on were spotlights, so the roof was bright enough for him to see her. She placed the box on the ground and knelt beside it. Leaning over, she began to pull something out...

Alex struggled to see what it was that Chloe had. He leaned in further when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Spinning around, he prepared to strike. He relaxed a little when he realized it was only James.

James hushed him as he stared at the door, "What's going on"

"I don't know" Alex shrugged, "I just thought-"

"Who's out there?" James asked as he pushed closer to the door. He placed his eye over the crack in the door. "That's Chloe..."

Alex nodded. "She has some...box with her, but I can't figure what's in it."

"I can't tell either." James got closer to the door. "Why don't we go find out?" He began to walk out the door.

"James, wait." Alex pulled him back. "We can't just barge outside and ask her what she's doing. I just wish I could see what it was. That's all."

They both stood, silently imaging what she could possibly have in the box. James couldn't take it anymore, "I have to go see for myself." he whispered quickly before he rushed out onto the roof.

Alex tried to grab his arm again but it was to late. James was already out in plain view.

Chloe jumped to her feet, turning towards him, ""What are you doing here? You really can't be here."

"You shouldn't be here either, Chloe." James stepped forward, trying to get closer to the box was beside her feet. "So don't even think about ratting us out. 'Cause we can do the same thing and all three of us would be in trouble."

Silence settled on the roof as both of them stared at each other. Suddenly, Chloe stepped in front of her box. "You said 'us'. Who's with you?"

James sucked in air between his teeth and mutter something under his breath. "Nobody."

"No, okay. I heard you say us." Chloe shook her as she looked toward the door, which was still open a crack. "Who is it?"

Alex knew he couldn't hide any longer. Plus, he still didn't know Chloe was a treat or not. He couldn't leave James alone with her if she was dangerous. He stepped outside slowly, his focus on Chloe, "It's just me."

Gasping, Chloe shook her head more, "Johnny, you can't be here. I can't be seen talking to you."

"Who's going to see us? There's no one else here but James." Alex never took his eyes off her, watching her every movement.

"Trust me. They'll see us." She said oddly. She quickly picked up the box. "It's not safe here now. You should go."

James took another step closer, "We're not going anywhere till you tell us what you're hiding."

With a determined look, Chloe tried to dash past both of them. James grabbed her arm as Alex quickly closed the door. It was nice having some extra help just this once. When he turned around, James had pinned Chloe's arms to her sides. Alex ran over and took the box.

"Let me go, James." She shouted as she fought to get free.

Alex placed the box on the ground. Pushing aside some cloth and paper, he dug out the contents. He placed it on the ground beside him. Studying it, he said, "It's a radio."

Finally giving up, Chloe sighed.

"That's not just a radio, John." James said as he slowly released Chloe.

"I know." Alex turned the radio over in his hands, looking at it carefully, "It's a C-B radio." He looked up at Chloe, "What are you doing with this?"

Chloe glanced from Alex to James and back again. She still seemed reluctant to say anything. Finally, she shrugged as she pushed a hair out of her face. "It's...I can't explain it."

"Try to." Alex said as he got to his feet.

She thought a while more before she finally decided to answer, "Okay, I'll tell you the truth. I don't think you'll believe me, though." They waited a few seconds before she sighed. "I-"

A hooded figure busted through the door. At the same time, several men came up from a fire escape, guns trained on the three.

"Joanna," The man stepped forward, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her close. "I thought I told you what would happen if you talked."

Chloe swallowed loudly. "I didn't say anything, I swear. Please, don't hurt them."

"Joanna?" James looked at the girl questioningly.

"Let her go." Alex wasn't sure what was going, but he wasn't going to stand there and do nothing.

The stranger studied Alex carefully. James watched Chloe, trying to piece everything together.

"I told you to let her go." Alex muttered.

There was a thick silence as Alex and James waited for something to happen. Chloe looked at Alex before she suddenly threw her elbow into the masked mans gut.

Acting on the chance he got, Alex swung his leg around. His heel landed squarely on the side of the man's face. Everything seemed to move too fast as James attempted to grab the radio. The soldiers aimed their guns right at the three. The door had locked as soon as it closed. As Alex and Chloe tried to pry the door open, a shot rang out. It just missed Alex's head, piercing into the wall beside him.

When they turned around, they saw about six semi-automatics aimed right at their heads. James was pinned to the ground face down, one of the guns shoved between his shoulders.

"I told you to be careful, didn't I? Now there are two innocent people involved." The man shook his head the brow of the hood covering his eyes. "How am I supposed to explain two more bodies?" He motioned with his hand, making a circle in the air. one of the soldiers marched over and grabbed Alex, twisting his arms behind him. Normally, Alex would not be one to give up so easily but James had a gun to his back. He couldn't risk his friend's life.

The unknown man walked up slowly to Chloe, "I warned you."

"You haven't won yet. I'm not finished." She took a deep breath steadying herself.

The man chuckled, 'It's all over." He grabbed her wrist.

**000**

**_there...now if you notice anything strange (like a typo or anything) please let me know! R&R!!_**


	7. Jail Cell

**_i know 'two chapters at once!?' it's amazing really. but i've had this for awhile and haven't been able to update it till now._**

**_enjoy_**

**000**

The cold floor rushed up to meet Alex as the guard pushed him head first into the dark, damp cell. He heard a grunt as Chloe, then James were pushed in after him. The steel bars were slammed shut with a deafening clang. Turning onto his back he look up into the mask figures hidden face.

"Sorry, kids, but this is where the road ends for you." A chuckle escaped from the mans lips and he began to walk away.

Alex jumped to his feet and grasped the bars in his hands. "Wait!" He waited for the man to stop and look at him before he continued, "What are you going to do with us?" He knew it was a stupid question because he already knew the answer. He just wanted to hear it.

"Whatever the boss wants done." The man stood still, as if waiting for Alex to shout out again. They stared at each other before the captor turned around again and walked out of the solid metal door.

James came up beside Alex and put a hand on his shoulder. "What'll we do now?"

"What else is there to do?" A small voice came out of the corner. They looked back at Chloe, who had curled up in the corner, her knees to her chest. "It's all over. He's won and there's nothing we can do."

After exchanging glances with James, Alex walked over and took a spot beside her. "Chloe, can I ask a question?" He waited patiently.

She nodded slowly.

"What were you doing with that radio? It's a little suspicious, you know."

Suddenly she shoved her face into her hands. Her body began to shake with sobs. "I messed, Johnny." She wiped a way a long trail of tears before she continued. "My names not Chloe."

Both of the boys froze and stared at her harder. "What?" James squatted in the opposite corner.

"My names really Robin Harper. Chloe was my alias. I work with the CIA and they sent me here." She sniffed and wiped more tears away, "I thought this would be easy. The mission was to check things out and let the team know if anything...weird happened. I didn't think I'd mess up this badly. The radio was my only way of getting news back to the others and - it busted some how. I was trying to fix it."

They all sat in silence as Alex took in the information. All along he thought she had something to do with his being sent to Grace Royal Academy. He definitely didn't expect her to be on his side. The bad news was that he was back at square one.

"So that's why you were acting so weird." James finally spoke, breaking the silence. He was now sitting beside Robin, and hand on her knee. "I guess if anyone should have known that, it should have been you, Alex."

Robin's head snapped up and her eyes whipped over to Alex. "Alex? Whose Alex?"

James coughed loudly and he glanced sideways at Alex. "Sorry, it just sorta...slipped out."

"Would someone answer me, please? Who is Alex?" Her eyes shifted between the two.

What could he say? Anything he said about MI6 would surely start up some kind of problem. Anyway, he wasn't supposed to tell anyone. It was worse enough James knew.

Suddenly, James blurted out the one thing Alex hoped he wouldn't. "He's Alex. Alex Rider. He works for MI6. That is what it's called, isn't it?"

A wave of anxiety came over Alex as Robin stared at him even harder. There was no avoiding it now. "He's right."

"So, you're not Johnny?" She said quietly. "You were lying the whole time?"

He nodded quickly, trying to find a way out of the situation. " Yeah, but I had to. Just like you did. It's the only way I can be safe. At least, that's my opinion."

The tension was thick. She got to her feet suddenly, walking towards the barred door. Leaning against it, she looked back him. "I guess I shouldn't get upset. After all, I was doing the same thing. It's all part of the job, right." She looked down at the floor and dug the toe of her sneaker into a crack in the cement. "Well, I think now I can apologize for slamming the door into your face earlier. It's just...he said he'd kill you if I was ever seen talking to you again. Looks like all that was for nothing."

James looked up at ceiling before casting a worried look on Robin. "I'm sorry this happened. It's kinda my fault. You were only protecting us." He shook his head slowly, "I am such an idiot sometimes. I just blew everything and now we're all gonna get killed."

Remember, Alex, never use this unless you really to. You know, in case of an emergency.

The words came back to him suddenly, almost like a memory that wanted to make it's self known again. He slowly stood up and pulled his sneaker off. He felt stupid for forgetting why his shoes were a few centimeters taller then they needed to be. Smithers had place the knife into the left shoe. All he had to do was push the emblem on the side and...

A long blade slid quickly out of the heel. He looked it over and smiled to himself. Now all it had to do was cut through metal.

"Whoa! Where ahs that been hiding?" James carefully took the took out of Alex's hands. "That is absolutely amazing..."

Alex over at Robin to see what she thought. She was smiling too. "I guess you came more prepared then I did." She said.

Taking the shoe back from James, Alex went to the doors and placed the edge of the knife against the lock. He began sawing when James tapped him on the shoulder. "Are you sure that's gonna work? I mean, look how thin that is."

"Smithers said it was made out of some kind of reinforced metal. He promised that it could cut through anything. I just hope that his sense of humor is going to get us killed." He shrugged and began sawing again. Slowly, the blade began to cut deeper into the lock. Tiny shavings from the steel bars began dropping onto the floor.

000

After what felt like hours, the small blade slipped through the last bit of the lock. Alex looked down at thin little knife and was surprised that it was still sharp and dulled a little. He pressed the emblem on side and the knife slid quietly back into shoe. Quickly putting it back on his foot, Alex exchanged glances with James and Robin. He then wrapped his hands around the steel and pushed.

The door didn't put up much of a fight, as it swung open. Robin placed an arm around his shoulders and squeezed. James slammed a fist against his back.

Alex stepped out first, and look around. There was a long hall, lined with more prison like cells and an empty wall at one end. The other end was the metal door the mask figure had walked through.

James read his mind and went to test the door. His muscles tensed as he leaned all his weight against the door. After trying a minute, he turned back to the others and shrugged. "It's locked tight. There's gotta be another way."

"Let's split up. There might be another door around." Robin shrugged. "Though I doubt it from the looks of things."

**000**

**_there it is! i hope it fits what happened before. um, oh, and i have a pairing but i think people will be happy with it (shh...i'm not giving it away...it's a secret)_**

**_R&R!!_**


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